A friend sent this to me a few days ago (obviously), I thought I should share it here too.<br><br>Message:<br>Today the President gives his annual address. As the election battle begins, how does his first term add up? <br><br>20 January 2004 <br><br>232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq <br>between May 2003 and January 2004 <br><br>501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq <br>from the beginning of the war - so far <br><br>0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany <br>after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945 <br><br>0: Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning <br>home from Iraq that the Bush administration has <br>allowed to be photographed <br><br>0: Number of funerals or memorials that President <br>Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq <br><br>100: Number of fund-raisers attended by Bush or <br>Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003 <br><br>13: Number of meetings between Bush and Tony <br>Blair since he became President <br><br>10 million: Estimated number of people worldwide <br>who took to the streets in opposition to the invasion <br>of Iraq, setting an all-time record for simultaneous protest <br><br>2: Number of nations that Bush has attacked and <br>taken over since coming into the White House <br><br>9.2: Average number of American soldiers wounded <br>in Iraq each day since the invasion in March last year <br><br>1.6: Average number of American soldiers killed <br>in Iraq per day since hostilities began <br><br>16,000: Approximate number of Iraqis killed since <br>the start of war <br><br>10,000: Approximate number of Iraqi civilians <br>killed since the beginning of the conflict <br><br>$100 billion: Estimated cost of the war in Iraq <br>to American citizens by the end of 2003 <br><br>$13 billion: Amount other countries have <br>committed towards rebuilding Iraq (much of it in loans) <br>as of 24 October <br><br>36%: Increase in the number of desertions from <br>the US army since 1999 <br><br>92%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that had <br>access to drinkable water a year ago <br><br>60%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that have <br>access to drinkable water today <br><br>32%: Percentage of the bombs dropped on Iraq this <br>year that were not precision-guided <br><br>1983: The year in which Donald Rumsfeld gave <br>Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs <br><br>45%: Percentage of Americans who believed in <br>early March 2003 that Saddam Hussein was involved in <br>the 11 September attacks on the US <br><br>$127 billion: Amount of US budget surplus in the <br>year that Bush became President in 2001 <br><br>$374 billion: Amount of US budget deficit in the <br>fiscal year for 2003 <br><br>1st: This year's deficit is on course to be the <br>biggest in United States history <br><br>$1.58 billion: Average amount by which the US <br>national debt increases each day <br><br>$23,920: Amount of each US citizen's share of the <br>national debt as of 19 January 2004 <br><br>1st: The record for the most bankruptcies filed <br>in a single year (1.57 million) was set in 2002 <br><br>10: Number of solo press conferences that Bush <br>has held since beginning his term. His father had <br>managed 61 at this point in his administration, and Bill <br>Clinton 33 <br><br>1st: Rank of the US worldwide in terms of <br>greenhouse gas emissions per capita <br><br>$113 million: Total sum raised by the Bush-Cheney <br>2000 campaign, setting a record in American <br>electoral history <br><br>$130 million: Amount raised for Bush's re-<br>election campaign so far <br><br>$200m: Amount that the Bush-Cheney campaign is <br>expected to raise in 2004 <br><br>$40m: Amount that Howard Dean, the top fund-<br>raiser among the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, <br>amassed in 2003 <br><br>28: Number of days holiday that Bush took last <br>August, the second longest holiday of any president in US <br>history (Recordholder: Richard Nixon) <br><br>13: Number of vacation days the average American <br>worker receives each year <br><br>3: Number of children convicted of capital <br>offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only <br>country openly to acknowledge executing children <br><br>1st: As Governor of Texas, George Bush executed <br>more prisoners (152) than any governor in modern US <br>history <br><br>2.4 million: Number of Americans who have lost <br>their jobs during the three years of the Bush administration <br><br>221,000: Number of jobs per month created since <br>Bush's tax cuts took effect. He promised the measure <br>would add 306,000 <br><br>1,000: Number of new jobs created in the entire <br>country in December. Analysts had expected a gain of <br>130,000 <br><br>1st: This administration is on its way to <br>becoming the first since 1929 (Herbert Hoover) to preside over an overall loss of jobs during its complete term in office <br><br>9 million: Number of US workers unemployed in <br>September 2003 <br><br>80%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce now unemployed <br><br>55%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce unemployed <br>before the war <br><br>43.6 million: Number of Americans without health <br>insurance in 2002 <br><br>130: Number of countries (out of total of 191 recognised <br>by the United Nations) with an American military presence <br><br>40%: Percentage of the world's military spending <br>for which the US is responsible <br><br>$10.9 million: Average wealth of the members of <br>Bush's original 16-person cabinet <br><br>88%: Percentage of American citizens who will <br>save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a <br>result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes <br><br>$42,000: Average savings members of Bush's <br>cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in <br>the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes <br><br>$42,228: Median household income in the US in 2001 <br><br>$116,000: Amount Vice-President Cheney is <br>expected to save each year in taxes <br><br>44%: Percentage of Americans who believe the <br>President's economic growth plan will mostly <br>benefit the wealthy <br><br>700: Number of people from around the world the <br>US has incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba <br><br>1st: George W Bush became the first American <br>president to ignore the Geneva Conventions by <br>refusing to allow inspectors access to US-held <br>prisoners of war <br><br>+6%: Percentage change since 2001 in the number <br>of US families in poverty <br><br>1951: Last year in which a quarterly rise in US <br>military spending was greater than the one the previous <br>spring <br><br>54%: Percentage of US citizens who believe Bush <br>was legitimately elected to his post <br><br>1st: First president to execute a federal <br>prisoner in the past 40 years. Executions are typically ordered by separate states and not at federal level <br><br>9: Number of members of Bush's defence policy <br>board who also sit on the corporate board of, or <br>advise, at least one defence contractor <br><br>35: Number of countries to which US has suspended <br>military assistance after they failed to sign <br>agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court <br><br>$300 million: Amount cut from the federal <br>programme that provides subsidies to poor families so they <br>can heat their homes <br><br>$1 billion: Amount of new US military aid <br>promised Israel in April 2003 to offset the "burdens" of <br>the US war on Iraq <br><br>58 million: Number of acres of public lands Bush <br>has opened to road building, logging and drilling <br><br>200: Number of public-health and environmental <br>laws Bush has attempted to downgrade or weaken <br><br>29,000: Number of American troops - which is <br>close to the total of a whole army division - to have <br>either been killed, wounded, injured or become so ill as to <br>require evacuation from Iraq, according to the Pentagon <br><br>90%: Percentage of American citizens who said <br>they approved of the way George Bush was handling his job <br>as president when asked on 26 September, 2001 <br><br>53%: Percentage of American citizens who approved <br>of the way Bush was handling his job as president <br>when asked on 16 January, 2004 <br><br>Sources: Vanity Fair magazine, Harper's Index, <br>Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US <br>Army (Washington), US Department of Defence, <br>Iraqbodycount.net, Citizens for Tax Justice, <br>Bureau of Economic Analysis (Washington), New York Times/<br>CBS News Poll (NYC), US Department of Commerce, <br>Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (NYC), Coalition <br>Provisional Authority (Baghdad), World Health <br>Organisation (Geneva), Office of Management and <br>Budget (Washington), Centre for Responsive <br>Politics (Washington), Bush-Cheney '04, Inc (Arlington, <br>Va), Election Systems & Software (Omaha), United States <br>Central Command (Tampa) <br><br>http://www.amnesty.org/<br><br>

53%: Percentage of American citizens who approved <br>of the way Bush was handling his job as president <br>when asked on 16 January, 2004 <br><br><br>Still enough to re-elect the guy, though...<br><br>

But we still have time to change that. Here, this is from move on:<br> <br>It’s clear that President Bush is a divider. Help us build a uniting vision -- a 100% America plan. <br><br> Then please forward this email to your friends and colleagues.<br> Dear MoveOn member, <br><br>In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Bush led with war and terror – which wasn’t surprising. It’ll certainly be a big theme for an administration that has used fear again and again for partisan political gain. The agenda is clear: permanent war, permanent abridgement of freedom, permanent tax cuts for big campaign contributors. Worse, the right has clearly decided to pursue a strategy of dividing America. In his speech last night, Bush tried to open a new front in the culture wars, calling for a constitutional amendment to “protect the sanctity of marriage.” We have to ask: from whom? <br><br>But what was clearly missing in the speech was any vision for the future of our country, which probably explains why early reports show that the speech left people cold. Where are we going as a nation? What’s the plan for fixing health care? What’s the plan for getting out of Iraq? What’s the plan for staunching the hemorrhage of high quality manufacturing jobs, and now even service and professional positions? What’s the plan for stopping the flood of red ink from irresponsible tax cuts? <br><br>Together, we can do better. It’s a New Year – time for a new start. We need your help. <br><br>We’re asking MoveOn members to sign up to help develop a real, uniting American vision – a 100% America plan. To be a part of this work, go to: <br><br> http://www.moveon.org/mission/ " target="_blank">http:// http://www.moveon.org/mission/ <br><br>In this coming year, candidates for President will be looking for great ideas that can truly inspire Americans to build a positive future for us and for our children. Last year, we asked MoveOn members to talk to each other about values and key issues facing the country. We got 100,000 pages of interview feedback from thousands of people across the nation. <br><br>What are we for? The themes were universal. Americans want true security based on working with allies and the rule of law – not an American empire. Americans demand corporate and individual responsibility – greed is not good and we’re all responsible to future generations. Americans want everyone to have a real opportunity to do well in our country and live the middle class dream – we will not be divided into haves and have-nots, or by race or gender or lifestyle. Americans believe that we are the beacon of freedom and democracy – the Bill of Rights is non-negotiable and democracy is not a partisan game. The themes that emerge are: Freedom, Opportunity, Responsibility and Security. <br><br>As a start, we’ve been collecting ideas for possible “strategic initiatives” based on these themes. To suggest your own ideas, and to be part of building a 100% America plan, go to: <br><br> http://www.moveon.org/mission/ <br><br>The Bush administration has cynically used fear to drive its special interest agenda. But Americans won’t be cowed by fear and we won’t be divided by cynical politicians. <br><br>Now is the time for us to build a positive future -- together. <br><br>Sincerely,<br> - Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack<br> The MoveOn.org Team<br> January 21st, 2004 <br><br>P.S. For excellent in-depth coverage and analysis of the State of the Union speech, go to today's issue of the Progress Report.<br><br>

<sigh><br><br>Well, I've been lurking these forums for quite some time. But I finally decided to join and post today. A lot of useful information, and unfortunately, a lot of political crap. I know the purpose is to discuss Macs as well as other issues, but I have to tell you.... the Bush bashing is getting very tiresome. It really is. Why do people post this stuff just to annoy others?<br><br>Just give it a rest will ya? Seriously. You don't like Bush. We get it. We really do. We don't need a new Bush bashing post (or three) every day.<br><br>Let's talk about less controversial, more fun things, like Apple and their great products!<br><br>Scott<br><br>

Skew the numbers any way you want.<br><br>How about the number of innocent Iraquis murdered, tortured, and jailed before for the war? And after?<br><br>How about the number of active terrorist training camps before and after the war?<br><br>How about the number of terrorist attacks on US soil since the Patriot Act? (another thing hard and fast Democrats are against)<br><br>How many soldiers funerals has Democratic front-runner AND war supporter did John Kerry gone to?<br><br>See what I mean? The numbers ARE very slanted, you can't deny that. The President's accomplishments are clearly left out of that list. I could go on an on about dozens of facts and figures that would put Bush in a good light too.<br><br>Look, I'm an independent. I like ideas on both sides of the aisle. But carpetbombing EVERYTHING George Bush does is just ignorant and childish - and it really hurts the value of this forum.<br><br>I feel sorry for those of you who get a warm & fuzzy feeling every time you bash the President of our great United States.<br><br>

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